Lauretta didn''t beat around the bush. "You and Joshua are all over the news."


    Too many things had happened to Ste recently, and even Lauretta could sense something was wrong.


    The Williams Group''s stock value hadn''t even recovered from the "real vs. fake heiress" scandal. Thistest series of incidents, capped by the bombshell news story, sent it plummeting to an all-time low.


    At Lauretta''s urging, Ste immediately checked the news. Photos of her and Joshua had been leaked online.


    The headline screamed: "Exposed! The real reason for the Williams Group''s recent troubles? Heiress Ste Cameron''s unprofessional affair with her male assistant, leading to disastrous decisions!"


    "Is Ste''s string of bad decisions due to a man, or is it because... she''s not the real Williams heiress and has simply decided to let it all burn?"


    "I hear this Joshua is impossibly handsome—a real heartbreaker!"


    Ste scrolled through the apanying pictures. They were all of her and Joshua.


    A few, taken from their training session at the gym, were shot from specific angles to make their physical contact look intimate and romantic.


    As one of the people in the photos, Ste knew he had been teaching her professionally, not taking advantage of the situation in any way.


    The story had only been up for an hour and was already trending.


    Ste and Joshua were both single, so the news wasn''t exactly scandalous, but it gave people plenty to talk about.


    An heiress and her male assistant-it was the kind of cliché, dramatic story that sent imaginations running wild.


    The onlinementers, always eager for drama, had their own takes.


    "Ste is beautiful and capable. I used to really admire her, but to think she''s stooped this low..."


    "If she wanted to keep a boy toy on the side, no one would care. She can


    afforefit But mixing business with #


    pleasure like this is just


    Ou


    disappointing."


    "But you have to admit, that assistant is gorgeous. I''ve seen my fair share of handsome men, but he''s on another level!"


    "The Williams Group has been having a lot of problemstely. Maybe it''s because Ste''s lost her way. Sigh, my idol, ruined."


    "Yeah, Ste used to be so perfect. Now... is it true that women lose their minds when they fall in love?"


    "Well, would Ste even look at him


    if he weren''t that good-looking?


    het


    The


    gorgeous heiress like her must have incredibly high standards. >


    "Heiress? I''m not so sure. Wasn''t there a story a while back about her being a fake?"


    "But can we just agree that the guy is ridiculously attractive? With a face like that..... who could resist?"


    Thements weren''t overly vicious, but the story was still terrible for both Ste''s reputation and the Williams Group.


    Ste immediately summoned Aicken. "Aicken, kill this story now. And make sure no other outlets publish anything about me and Joshua."


    Just as she finished speaking, the<pndline on her desk rang shrilly. On the other end was Jonathan Williams''s cold voice. "Board meeting in thirty minutes."